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Marion wasn’t known for his hitting _ he usually batted in the seventh and eighth spots in the order during a 13-year big-league career _ but much like another Cardinals standout shortstop, Ozzie Smith, Marion worked to enhance his value at the plate.

Marion was as much a product of the best talent being in the war as anything else. Also being the best defensive player at short for a short period of time, isn't enough to put you in the hof. Vizquel was as good defensively, for longer period of time in an era with higher quality play and he isn't a worthy hofer (I think he makes it eventually, but don't think he's worth it)

Well, as I thought of initially reflecting in #1 till I noticed it was long enough with just the list, Marion was extremely outstanding at one aspect of the game. New metrics and old reputation alike have him as one of the best-fielding shortstops of his era, or in fact ever. Players almost identical to Marion in career WAR include Marty McManus and Earl Torgeson, for instance, who were unremarkable good players; Marion was a remarkable good player. That doth not make a HOF case, but nobody's every made one for McManus or Torgeson.

And that is why people who care about the HOF should care about post-season awards. Without that (hugely unjustified) award, no one would think to argue for Marty Marion. In fact, he would never make the cut to get on the ballot in the first place.

Back in the 50's, every kid I knew sported a Marty Marion G600 Rawlings glove. It had a genuine floating heel, a Deep Well pocket, and by the time the 50's came along, it even had lacing to connect the fingers! Surely this should be enough to put "Mr. Shortstop" over the top!

I can top that. The last time this conversation came up, I couldn't remember whose name was on the glove when I played little league. I expected to find the name of Robbie Alomar or Devon White or another defensive star from the 80's or 90's Jays... instead I found that I had been the proud owner of an infield glove endorsed by Jose Canseco. Oof.

I also had a Juan Guzman glove, because it was bright blue. I have absolutely no regrets about that one.

I'd like to propose something called "reverse war credit." As you know, regular war credit is when someone who fought in World War II (and maybe the Korean War) gets credit for how good he would probably have been if he had been playing baseball. Reverse war credit is when you take people's stats for 1942-1945 and discount them by an arbitrary amount on the grounds that the level of competition in 1943 was a lot lower.

I warmly remember my first glove. I was eight. My brother helped me pick it out at the local sports shop, and showed me how to soak it and oil it and break it in and all that. I'll be damned, however, if I can remember who's "autograph" model it was. (No, it wasn't Marty Marion; I'm ancient but not that ancient.)

But I do remember the Wilson A2000 glove I used when playing softball in the 1990s: the Jose Canseco model. All I needed was the Steve Jeltz model bat, and the perfection would be complete.

I don't care if the HOF never elects guys like Marion, but I'd love it if they had some kind of permanent display with film and descriptions of the greatest fielders at every position. It'd be great if they had Keith Hernandez (or Marty Marion, or Maz, or Brooks, or Andruw, etc.) game footage on some kind of loop.

That Wilson A2000 model glove line is far and away the longest running model in history, now 55 years and counting. Before it came along, Rawlings completely dominated the brand name glove department as thoroughly as Louisville Sluggers monopolized bats.

Reverse war credit is when you take people's stats for 1942-1945 and discount them by an arbitrary amount on the grounds that the level of competition in 1943 was a lot lower they didn't care about their country.

Later in my softball days I had a Ted Williams glove, which is like having a CD of vocal lessons by Elvis Costello.

That just means you bought it at Sears. You coulda had a Ted Williams fishing rod too; probably a Ted Williams basketball.

My first glove was probably a Ted Williams. It lasted one day before a bunch of 14-year-old punks stole it from my 10-year-old punk self. Awwww. A blessing in disguise as I inherited a properly broken-in Rawlings Billy Williams. I was a Rawlings man for life after that although I think I had only two more gloves after that.

Marion actually drew 40% of the vote in the 1970 HOF election. The year he won the mvp, he slugged .362. Had to have been a really good glove man, I guess..but was it legit? I think the "Deep Well" pocket should have been outlawed as it obviously gave its users an unfair advantage similar to Barry and steroids.